


Colors On My Skin

by sspaceyy



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2020-05-30 17:29:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19407982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sspaceyy/pseuds/sspaceyy
Summary: its the soulmark au but with taagnus because im bored and I think its cute so sue mealso its modern day





	1. lefty

Taako had never cared much about his "soulmate." He'd never made an attempt to write to them, at least, not on purpose. He had been a bit embarrassed when he'd woken up one morning to find a snide remark about a messy shopping list scrawled on his skin in warm red ink. He'd hastily written a short apology and gone on with his day. All of this was true. He didn't really care. At least, not at first.

He leaned against the warm oven as he mixed batter for a second batch of experimental poison antidote cupcakes. He felt a warm stroking on his left forearm. It surprised him so much he dropped his whisk. "Shit.." he swore under his breath as he reached for the whisk and wiped up the batter from the floor. He had almost forgotten what had surprised him in the first place by the time he was finished cleaning. He couldn't quite place what had brushed up against him, until he recognized a feeling he had felt on occasions so few and far between, he'd almost forgotten it completely. Sure enough, he looked down at his left forearm to see a single word neatly printed in a deep red.

#

Magnus had been skeptical of soulmates ever since he'd lost Julia. He'd finished grieving years ago, but he just couldn't find it in him to reach out again. He wasn't even convinced he had a new soulmate until he found a shopping list for something more complex than he could ever cook on his arm. Naturally, he knew something was up. He hadn't expected to hear anything back when he wrote a snarky response. Nevertheless, he felt something deep inside him stir when he noticed the emerald green "hey sorry" on his right arm a few minutes later.

He couldn't quite grasp what this feeling was. But he knew it was familiar. Somehow. He spent the next several weeks thinking about it. He couldn't let it get away. He wanted to chase it, to hold it in his arms, to know it. To understand it. So, he picked up a pen. Just before the pen touched his skin, however, he hesitated. Only slightly, but it made him realize just how much he wanted this to work, to at least reach whoever was on the other side. Somehow, without even knowing it, he had so much riding on this.

Nevertheless, he moved his pen in neat strokes, marking his and hopefully someone else's skin in unison.

#

"Lefty?" Taako muttered under his breath as he placed the mixing bowl on the counter. The word written simply on his skin was nothing if not confusing. He walked from the kitchen to the couch, still staring at his arm the whole way in confused astonishment. He reached over the back of the couch to retrieve the phone lying on the cushions. He finally shifted his gaze to the phone, opening his messages to send a text to his counterpart.

Taako: hey something kinda weird just happened

Lup: wym

Taako: i just got a message

Lup: from who

Taako: my soulmate i think

Lup: oooooh keep talking you have my interest

Taako: it just says lefty

Lup: what

Taako: like, a question? like "lefty?"

Lup: wtf does that mean

Taako: why do you think im asking you dingus

Lup: write em back

Taako: what do i even say

Lup: just ask what they mean. conversational skills, bro

Taako: you do know who you're talking to, right

Lup: aw cmon just be normal. i gtg but keep me posted

Taako: not likely

Lup: love you too ～(^з^)-♡

He'd never say it to her face, but Taako knew Lup was usually right. He threw his phone back on the couch and paced over to a cup of pens and pencils on the kitchen counter. His mind buzzed as he searched for a pen that wasn't out of ink. How should he phrase it? What if he came off as uninterested? There were so many ways this could go wrong, he--

_Bzzt! Bzzt!_

Lup: you're not getting out of this. you have to talk to them at some point.

Taako smiled. She knew him too well. Alright. Simplicity it is.

_what?_

To Taako's surprise, he got a response almost immediately.

**you're a lefty right?**

_how the fuck could you know that_

**when you write it appears on my right arm so you must be writing with your left hand**

_you're pretty smart huh, red_

**red?**

_when you write it appears in red for me_

**you're pretty sociable when you actually talk, lefty**

_you're not so bad of a conversationalist yourself. sorry it took so long for me to figure that out_

**sorry it took me a while too**

Taako looked up from his arm for a moment. He sniffed slightly. Oh no.

_shit sorry i gotta go my cupcakes are burning_

He frantically scribbled an apology as he jumped up and sped to the oven. The cupcakes were beyond saving. He threw the charred remains in the sink, turning on the faucet to cool them down. Usually, he'd be fuming right about now, hours of work down the drain. But for some reason, in this particular instance, he didn't really care.


	2. confectionary delights

Taako moved to the sound of the fast paced song blasting through his kitchen as he waited for his turkey to finish cooking. He bobbed and weaved his way through a nonexistent audience, nodding his head like a woodpecker. He spun around, dizzying himself to his delight. He slid across the tiles, screaming the foreign lyrics with increasing passion. It was only when he felt a familiar sensation on his arm that he stopped to peer down at the message.

**whatcha doing**

He grinned a toothy grin and boogied his way over to grab a pen, heart rate increasing even more than it had from the dancing. His writing was shaky from all the movement, but he didn't care. He was too into the music.

_singin, dancin, ya know. the works_

**oh hell yeah, what song**

_donut hole_

**i asked for a song lefty not a confectionary delight**

Taako chuckled, face growing warmer and grin growing wider.

_it is a song dingus. gumi? vocaloid?_

**vocawhat**

_oh my god i got a dud soulmate_

**awwww you think im your soulmate?**

_i would be_ very _worried if it was just a random person that could magic write to me_

He was interrupted by someone opening the door. "Hey, Ko? Jesus, your music is so loud." Taako skidded into the front room to see his twin standing in the doorway with two grocery bags at her sides. "Hey!" She lifted up the bags. "I brought baklava ingredients!"

"Shit," Taako cursed. "I totally forgot we were baking today. Hold on lemme just say bye real quick." Lup saw the marks on her brother's arm, the pen in his hand. She could not miss this.

"Wait." She grabbed his left hand before he could write anything. "Is that them?"

Taako blushed. "Why?"

#

Magnus wrote an embarrassing response before throwing out the small remains of his lunch and trudging back into his workshop. He still had a lot of work to do today, but he couldn't even try to feign focus. His head was in the clouds, and he couldn't have cared less. Taking all this into account, he decided to leave the finishing touches on his latest woodworking commission for tomorrow, instead picking up his grandfather's knife and a hunk of scrap wood for a more mindless task.

Half an hour and a semi-carved duck later, he felt a familiar brush against his forearm.

_hey whats your n don't answer that_

Magnus puzzled over this strange message for a minute, but was interrupted by a knock at the door to his workshop. He set the knife and semi-duck down on the table, rising to open the door.

"Hey, Maggie!" He was greeted by a woman of similar stature to his own, her silvery hair pulled up in a high bun.

"Luce!" he exclaimed, picking the woman up for an obligatory bear hug. "What are you doing here? Come in, come in." He placed her on the ground, motioning into the workshop and stepping aside to let her through.

Lucretia sited in disappointment. "I figured you'd still be working." She plopped a plastic bag down on the workbench, "I brought you macarons."

"Thanks," Magnus replied as he sat back down and fished one of the macarons out of the bag. "You didn't ha--"

"Shhhh. I'm worried about you, Maggie. All you do is work! I haven't seen you out of your shop since Julia passed."

Magnus glanced down to his arm, now covered by a plaid sleeve. He raised the macaron to his mouth. "-Oly ffit!" he exclaimed through a mouthful of macaron. "-Is is fucki- reat!" He swallowed, almost choking. "Where did you get this?"

"Sizzle it Up in town. It's kinda a weird shop, but whatever they make always tastes amazing." Lucretia thought for a moment. "I was planning on going back tomorrow. You could come with me, you know."

"Wait, what do you mean weird?"Magnus was intrigued.

"Oh, right you've never been there," Lucretia chuckled to herself. "Well, it's pretty much just a food shop."

"What kind of food?"

"Well that's just it. All kinds. It's owned by these twins that are like, somehow super rad at cooking basically anything, and they just make whatever they feel like on any given occasion. You never know what they're gonna have. It's kinda fun."

Magnus was on the edge of his seat at this point. "Well, if it means I might have a chance to get my hands on more of these macarons..." He glanced down at his covered arm, a gut feeling stirring deep inside him. "Alright. I'll come with."

Lucretia smiled. "Alright, then it's settled. I'll come pick you up at eight and we'll walk into town together."

Magnus nodded. "Rad."

Lucretia stood from her seat. "Well, I should be going. I have some things to attend to. Try not to get yourself killed before eight o'clock tomorrow, okay?"

Magnus laughed, escorting Lucretia out and waving goodbye as she walked away. "Will do!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> quick update: I fixed the first chapter so that should have the proper formatting and all now! also, thank you for all the kudos! I didn't really expect this to gain any popularity but here we are I guess!


	3. donut hole

"So... what do you think?" Magnus looked up from his phone where an upbeat song was playing.

"What did you say this was called again?" Merle stroked his beard confusedly.

Magnus glanced back down at his phone just to make sure he was right. "Donut Hole."

"Well, it ain't no Kenny Chesney, that's for sure." Merle closed his eye and listened to the song a bit more closely. "I mean maybe if we could actually understand it... What language even is this? It sure as hell isn't from Faerun."

Magnus nodded. "...But it's kinda catchy right?"

Merle looked at the large man, unimpressed. "Can I just have my pulpit please Maggie?"

They were interrupted by a knock at the door. "Shit," Magnus looked up at the handmade clock on the wall of the workshop. "Is it eight already?" He hurried over to the door to let Lucretia in.

"Oh hey, Merle. What are you--"

"Oh I was just leaving," Merle eyed Magnus. "If Magnus here would just give me my goddamn pulpit."

Lucretia huffed a laugh. "Well you should come with us. We're going to that shop in town, the one near Glamour Springs."

Merle just stared, his annoyance palpable. Magnus chimed in, "If you come with us, I'll deliver your pulpit to the church myself tomorrow."

"Fine," Merle sighed. "But just to grab something for the kids."

#

Lucretia pushed the door to Sizzle It Up open, letting the others step inside as a frankly ill-fitting entrance tune played.

"Fantasy Costco?" Magnus questioned. "I thought this was a pastry shop."

"It is," chimed in a voice from behind the counter. Magnus looked over to see a tall elven woman with seafoam green skin and long golden hair standing at the register. "It used to be a small branch of the Fantasy Costco up the road but then we bought the space," she continued. "We still haven't found whatever plays the welcome song. But it's quirky don't ya think?" She smiled. "Anyway, welcome to Sizzle It Up! What can I g--"

She was cut off by another voice calling from the door behind her. "Hey Lup! Something's wrong with the bluetooth, can you come fix it?"

She turned toward the door. "Sure, but you gotta come help these customers!" She turned back to the group. "Sorry about that. He'll be right with you." She walked through the door, passing another figure on her way back.

The person that came up to the counter now was the same height as the elven woman, with the same golden blonde hair, the same seafoam green skin, but there was something different about him. There were the obvious differences, for instance his hair was only down to his chin, but there was something about the minute differences--the softer curve of his jaw, the slight wave of his hair, the subtle awareness in his eyes--that mystified Magnus.

"Alright then," he spoke in a voice as smooth as silk, yet nuanced and effortless. He looked up and involuntarily locked eyes with Magnus. It was only a moment that they shared eye contact, the soft olive meeting the hushed hazel, but it stirred something in Magnus, and he could tell the elf felt it, too. But after only a second his gaze shifted to peer at Lucretia. "Lucy!" he greeted warmly. "I see you finally decided to bring me some new customers!"

Magnus looked over at Lucretia inquisitively. And as if she could read his mind, she said, "I'm a bit of a regular," with a grin.

"So what can I get for you fine gentlemen?" He leaned over, placing his elbows on the counter, chin in his hand. He eyed Magnus, and the carpenter felt embarrassment at the attention.

"Uhh..." He struggled to find words. The elf tapped his finger on the counter impatiently. "...M-Merle, you go first," he finally forced out. "I'm still deciding."

Merle waddled up to the counter. "Yeah, can I just get two Athelas cupcakes please?"

"Comin' right up little man," the elf said as he sauntered over behind the glass case. Merle grumbled a bit. As the elf stuffed the cupcakes in a paper bag, the speakers in the store skipped a bit, and then came on playing halfway through a familiar upbeat song. The elf started bopping his head up and down, returning his attention to Merle. "10 gold pieces, my dude." 

Merle handed him the gold, picking up the bag and shuffling away. He passed Magnus, and looked up at the tall man. "You owe me a pulpit big guy," and he walked out of the shop.

Magnus stepped up to the counter. His face grew hot as he cleared his throat. He hoped it wasn't noticeable. "Uhm.. do you have any of th-the elderflower macarons?" he choked out.

"Sorry, none today hun." The awkward silence that followed didn't last long, as the song playing over the speakers abruptly changed to a fast paced rap song. The elf's long ears perked up at the sudden change, his half closed eyes growing wide as he stood up and yelled through the door behind him. "LUP, YOU SAUCY MOTHERFUCKER, PUT DONUT HOLE BACK ON!!!" Magnus chuckled, amused at the elf's passionate outburst. The elf pretended not to notice, turning around and leaning back over the counter with a smirk. "Whatever," he looked up at the large man for a moment. "The KYO version is better anyway."

Magnus grinned down at the slender figure. "Can you understand it?" he asked quizzically. "A friend of mine actually just recommended it to me but I can't figure out what language it is."

The elf's ears perked up, and he slid up to put his weight on his hands. "I don't speak it. It's some language from outside of Faerun somewhere, but the common translation is online." He looked down now, a bit sheepish. "I don't know what it is about it, the lyrics are noting like anything I've ever experienced, but I just..." He looked up, cheeks red. "I'm boring you," he laughed nervously.

"Oh no!" Magnus assured. "I love hearing people be passionate." He offered the elf a genuine smile.

The elf studied the man's face for a moment, taking in all of the details. The reddish-orange flecks that sprinkled his hazel eyes. The galaxy of freckles peppering his nose. The soft looking facial hair, auburn like the desert plains of Goldcliff at night. "What's your name, bubula?"

"Magnus."

"Gimme 20 minutes, Magnus." Magnus watched him saunter back through the door, the elven woman coming through a few seconds later to man the register. He sat down at a nearby table as Lucretia ordered and chatted with the elven woman.

Almost a half hour later, Lucretia walked over, placing a hand on Magnus's shoulder. "It's getting late, Mag. I'm gonna head home."

He looked over at the door behind the counter, hesitant. When it became clear that no one was coming out of it, he lowered his head, saying, "Yeah, I should probably go, too. I still have to put the finishing touches on Merle's pulpit."

As they got to the other side of the street, they heard a slamming sound from behind them as well as an upbeat welcome tune. Magnus turned around to find the elf bounding across the street, a brown paper bag in his hand. "Wait!" he called, breathless. He slowed up in front of Magnus, placing his hands on his knees and panting for a moment. He straightened out then, placing the bag in the large man's hands. "Sorry it took so long. I wanted to make sure they were perfect."

Magnus turned the bag over in his hands, finding his name written on the bag in slanted handwriting. He opened it to find a still-warm batch of elderberry macarons inside. He looked up to see the elf back across the street, opening the door to the shop back up, half inside already. "Wait!" he called. The elf looked back, meeting his gaze straight on. "What's your name?"

The elf smiled, only a little. "I'm Taako," he called. "You know, from TV!"


	4. after hours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heya there my lovely readers! soooo it's been a bit huh? i know I haven't posted for the better part of a year, but with quarantine and school being online, i've found myself with a lot of extra time. i used some of that time to come back and read some of my old works and i found myself really wanting to continue this one. i felt weird trying to continue it for the longest time because the main ship was non-cannon and both of the characters involved had cannon other partners, but i decided that i was gonna write what i want and if people take issue with that, fuck em. so, without further ado, welcome back to Colors On My Skin!!

Magnus got back to his workshop later than he expected. It was close to ten already. He dropped his jacket on the sawdust-covered floor and walked toward his workbench where an unopened can of wood stain still sat. He placed the paper bag on the bench next to the can and sat in the wooden chair he’d made years before. He opened the bag and took out a macaron. He took a bite, the flavor filling his tastebuds instantly. The elf—Taako—was right. They were perfect. The cookies had just the right ratio of crunchy outside to fluffy inside, and the filling was creamy and thick, and the flavor was a perfect compliment to the cookies.

He grabbed another one out of the bag and stuck it in his mouth. He picked up the can of wood stain and stood from his chair to choose a paintbrush from a hook on the wall. He turned finally to the pulpit sitting on top of a canvas tarp in the muddle of the room. He pulled out his phone and started playing a playlist of vocaloid songs. He figured if his soulmate was into them, he might as well give them a chance. He swallowed the macaron, and went to work on staining the pulpit.

About twenty minutes later, a sudden feeling on his forearm caused him to drop his brush.

#

Taako locked up the door to Sizzle It Up and flipped the sign to the closed side. He busied himself cleaning off the glass case and service counter, and then made his way back into the kitchen where Lup was cleaning up for the day. He helped her finish off the counters, and then the two sat down at a small folding table in the corner of the room with a deck of cards. They did this dance most days, sitting down and talking about the day’s events with a deck of cards, neither of them ever knew what game they were playing, but that’s what made it theirs. There were no rules and no boundaries. Just time for them.

Lup placed down a queen of spades in the middle of the table and then began. “Barry says his experiments are going well.” Taako hummed a sound of intrigue as he placed a king of diamonds down next to Lup’s queen. “He hasn’t quite gotten one of them to fully come back to life yet, but a couple of the rats have started to move again. No sign of brain activity though.” She placed a card face down on top of the queen.

Taako placed a card face down on top of his king. “What’d you think of that guy Lucy brought in today?”

Lup huffed a laugh. “He’s a little old, don’t you think?”

Taako flicked Lup on the forehead. “Not the dwarf, dingus. The big guy. Magnus.”

Lup placed a card from an Uno game down on top of Taako’s pile. A red 2. “I thought you were giving the soulmate thing a shot,” she said.

Taako sighed. “I am, I am, but… does that mean I should have to deprive the rest of the dating pool from the beautiful koi that is Taako Taaco?” He punctuated this sentiment by swooping down a card onto Lup’s pile: a brain sloppily drawn on top of the 7 of hearts.

Lup chuckled at her brother’s one-of-a-kind phrasing. “No,” she said as she flipped over her pile. She had three cards: The queen of spades, the red joker, and the brain 7 of hearts. “All I’m saying is not to give up on it. I mean look how well it turned out for me and Barry.” She stood up from her chair and walked up behind Taako. She leaned over and hugged him from behind. “It’s there for a reason.” She released him and scooped up her cards, placing them neatly in a pile in the middle of the table. “I’m gonna head up. Don’t stay up too late, okay?” She started walking up the staircase at the back of the store up to the apartment. She stopped three stairs up and turned around. “Promise me you’ll try, okay, Ko?”

Taako stared at his cards for a moment. He turned to his sister and smiled. “Night, Lulu.” Lup smiled at her feet and continued up the stairs.

Taako turned back to the table where his cards still sat. He flipped over his pile. Three cards. The king of diamonds, the king of hearts, and a red Uno two. Taako stood up from the table and turned toward the kitchen. He drifted toward the oven, still warm from the macarons. He shifted his gaze to the counter in the shopfront, where a pile of brown paper bags and a black marker still sat. He walked over and picked up one of the bags. He turned it over in his hands and examined the scribbled out writing. His cheeks filled with blood as he thought of how many times he redid that writing. Taako looked down at his arm. It looked oddly empty without the red markings there.

He grabbed the marker off the counter and made his way over to a table in the parlor. He sat, leaning back in the chair and resting his legs on the table as he stared at the sky outside. The night was slightly overcast, but the parts in the clouds allowed the moonlight to shine into the dim store in bands through the half-closed blinds. Taako shifted his arm into the moonlight. It shone like diamonds on his skin. He pulled the cap off the marker with his teeth, and began to write.

_heya red_

Taako didn’t expect to get a reply so quickly.

**howdy lefty! what’s up?** ****

_just felt like a chat. whatcha doing?_

**working on a woodworking project for a friend. i’m a carpenter.** ****

Taako silently thanked the gods for giving him a soulmate who wasn’t talentless.

_woah rad! im pretty much the best chef in faerun, probably everywhere_

**pretty confident there, lefty. i’ve got some macarons that might say otherwise.** ****

_yeah? what kind?_

**elderflower.** ****

This caught Taako by surprise. He had made his elderflower macaron recipe from scratch, and had kept it tight to his chest since its inception. How the hell could this guy have some? He had to investigate.

_sounds delish. where’d you get em?_

**a cute little shop near where i live. they were actually out of them for the day, but the guy was nice enough to make me some.** ****

_Shit_ , Taako thought. It couldn’t be…. actually it really fucking could be, but he had to make sure.

_oh what’s it called?_

**it’s called Sizzle It Up! it’s kinda funky but the food is great** ****

Taako’s heart skipped a beat. He almost dropped his marker before scribbling a quick goodbye as he scrambled out of his seat and up the stairs in the back. “Lup!!! You’re never gonna believe this!”


End file.
